I wield power with my innate talents, and forge the Heavenly Court.

Chapter 254 Consecutive Absorption of Dragon Qi, Internal Attachment, Crown Prince's Birth

On June 28th, Li Shu led his team to the border of the Great Shun Kingdom. The army was deployed, and a huge azure dragon with its claws outstretched looked at the golden dragon representing the national destiny of the Great Shun Kingdom.

Faced with the spying and provocation of the Azure Dragon Army Soul, the Golden Dragon of the Great Shun Kingdom's national destiny immediately roared in anger.

"Ang~!"

An overwhelming and domineering force swept over them in an instant.

"boom!"

With a violent impact, the sky and clouds shifted, and the air twisted.

The Azure Dragon Army's spirit trembled violently, and its military aura dissipated somewhat.

The golden dragon, representing the national fortune of the Great Shun Kingdom, suddenly leaned back, almost being shaken out of the capital city.

In fact, the fortunes of the Great Shun Dynasty surpassed those of Zhang Xianzhong's Great Western Kingdom.

Because Zhang Xianzhong implemented a harsh slave hierarchy and was bloodthirsty, countless people were killed by him and his army.

If it weren't for the frequent plundering of people from the main island, the Kingdom of Atlantis might not have even reached 500,000 people.

By acting in this way, he and his Great Western Kingdom naturally lost the support of the common people, and the nation's fortune and aura naturally became weak.

The Shun dynasty established by Li Zicheng was different. After arriving in Korea, he immediately declared that the Joseon Dynasty was a branch of his ancestors who had migrated there due to war.

Nowadays, because of the incompetence of this branch, the people of Joseon Korea are suffering. As a descendant of the main branch of the Joseon family, he has the obligation and responsibility to rebuild the country and bring a better life to the people of Joseon.

Whether the princes and nobles believed it or not was not important.

All Li Zicheng needed was a legitimate reason to act.

If you talk about it a lot and offer enough benefits, even if ordinary people don't believe it, they will eventually accept it.

Moreover, Li Zicheng also raised slogans such as "distribute land to the rich," "equal distribution of land and tax exemption," and "fair buying and selling," which inspired people to create folk songs.

It was like slaughtering cattle and sheep, preparing wine and food, and welcoming the rebel king with wine and food.

Welcoming the rebel leader, hoping for the rebel leader's arrival, and saying that when the rebel leader comes, taxes will be waived, etc.

Faced with such an army and its leaders, ordinary people naturally welcomed and welcomed them.

Coupled with their powerful military strength, Li Zicheng and his forces quickly established a foothold and now occupy most of North Korea, with a population of six to seven million, controlling a large portion of the country.

If he hadn't been worried about the Chinese army and Qing troops on the other side of the Yalu River, he might have even occupied all of Korea.

Thus, the national fortune he amassed was naturally incomparable to that of Zhang Xianzhong.

Back then, Li Shu was able to contend with the Golden Dragon of the nation's destiny on his own, and only slightly lost the battle.

Now, even if Li Shu forms an army, they are evenly matched, or perhaps have a slight advantage.

On the other side, with the roar of the Golden Dragon of National Fortune and its conflict with the Azure Dragon Army Soul, Li Zicheng instantly realized that, in the blink of an eye, he had merged with the Golden Dragon of National Fortune and was looking towards the south.

Upon discovering Li Shu and the others, their expressions changed drastically.

He immediately convened a meeting of his civil and military officials to discuss matters, and at the same time, he negotiated with Li Shu through the National Fortune Golden Dragon.

"I was unaware of your presence, Lord Marquis. I apologize for not welcoming you properly."

"Haha, Chief Li, you're too kind. I've come without permission; it's I who should apologize to Chief Li."

After some perfunctory pleasantries, Li Zicheng finally spoke.

"May I ask what brings you here, Lord Marquis?"

"Oh, I have been ordered to patrol the sea frontier and safeguard the peace of various places at sea. My dragon energy has been greatly depleted, so I would like to ask Chief Li for some assistance."

Looking at Li Shu and then at the Great Western Kingdom, what else could Li Zicheng not understand? This was to make the Great Shun also worship the dragon's energy.

Inside the main hall of the Seoul Imperial Palace, all the civil and military officials fell silent after seeing these images projected onto Li Zicheng.

Dividing the dragon's energy to serve the Heavenly Court
No, this doesn't even qualify as offering sacrifices to the Celestial Empire; it's merely the service of a Marquis of the Celestial Empire.

Everyone was naturally extremely unwilling.

However, if they were asked to resist, they would be powerless to do so, and would not even be able to muster the slightest bit of enthusiasm.

The tragic state of Japan is still fresh in our minds.

They didn't want their hard-won Great Shun Kingdom to perish so easily.

"Your Majesty, I think there's a lot of truth in something that the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty said when he started his uprising."

"Oh, what are you talking about?"

"Delay declaring yourself king, and stockpile grain."

"Isn't that a reflection of our current situation?"
Since we are currently at a disadvantage, we can only secretly accumulate strength and wait for an opportunity.

"Hmm, the Prime Minister means..."
Should we agree to his request?!

Yes, Li Zicheng's Great Shun Kingdom also followed the cabinet system of the Ming Dynasty.

"Yes, this is the best option right now!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, we should first get through the current crisis."

"Yes, if we can't even get past this hurdle, how can we talk about the future?"

"really!"

Looking at the reactions of the civil and military officials below, Li Zicheng couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

They had been frightened by the previous imperial edict's effect in Japan and no longer had much of the will to confront the Celestial Empire.

Or rather, anyone who sees such a scene would feel a sense of fear.

This also includes Li Zicheng.

"My lord, to reward you for your hard work for our small nation, we are willing to pay 30% of the dragon's energy as tribute to the Celestial Dynasty."

Li Shu remained noncommittal about Li Zicheng's conditions, but simply stated Zhang Xianzhong's conditions.

"Zhang Xianzhong, the King of the Great Western Kingdom, divided 80% of the nation's fortune into the Golden Dragon, and thereafter offered 30% of the dragon's energy to the king every year."

"This"

Upon hearing of Zhang Xianzhong's actions, Li Zicheng felt breathless.

You scoundrel, how am I supposed to face you after this?

Seeing the expectant looks from the civil and military officials below, Li Zicheng finally gritted his teeth and agreed.

"Ang~!"

The golden dragon of national destiny split in two; the larger one went to the border, while the smaller one remained stationed in Seoul.

Looking at the enormous golden dragon symbolizing the nation's destiny in front of him, Li Shu was overjoyed. He reached out and summoned the imperial edict, manipulating the dragon's energy to manifest and swallowing it whole.

"King of Da Shun, thank you for your support of the security of the coastal areas. I will now proceed to the north for an inspection."

After expressing his gratitude, Li Shu led his army north again, reaching Korea, where he once more harvested the dragon energy. He then led his army back to the Ryukyu Islands, preparing to collect another wave of dragon energy.

Seeing the majestic and imposing blue dragon that completely overwhelmed the golden dragon representing their national destiny, all the civil and military officials of Ryukyu, including the King of Ryukyu, were terrified and turned ashen-faced.

The Celestial Empire is indeed powerful. Perhaps it only needs one warship to completely destroy their country?

Therefore, when faced with Li Shu's request, the Ryukyu King had to agree immediately.

However, the Ryukyu king then had a sudden thought and directly requested to become an annexed country and join the Celestial Empire.

"I have long admired Your Majesty. Now that Your Majesty's army has arrived, I wish to submit to Your Majesty and become a loyal subject."

Upon hearing the Ryukyu king's request, his civil and military officials were initially taken aback. However, they quickly realized what was happening and knelt down in worship.

"We, your humble servants, are willing to submit to the Chinese empire!"

Faced with the Ryukyu King's unconventional actions, Li Shu was momentarily at a loss.

I just want to collect some dragon energy; you don't need to rush to invest.

However, since the Ryukyu king wanted to annex the country, that was no longer a decision he could make.

This is the first case of its kind, with no precedent to follow, and he doesn't know whether he should agree or not.

Ultimately, he had no choice but to report the situation to the dynasty.

Naturally, the dynasty would not turn its back on such a proposal.

Unlike emperors of past dynasties who viewed everything outside the Central Plains as barbarian lands, he was not one to be easily defeated, and even those who voluntarily submitted to him might be rejected.

After some deliberation, the dynasty decided to confer upon the King of Ryukyu the rank of Third-Class Earl.

After all, he had contributed to the country's surrender and was the first nation to request annexation.

However, firstly, its territory is not large, and secondly, the Celestial Empire has no need to use it to demonstrate the grandeur of a great power.

In the Celestial Empire, all appointments and promotions to official positions and titles are based on merit.

This is the bottom line.

Even if you have enough merits, you may not be granted a title for various reasons, but if you don't have enough merits, you will definitely not be granted a title.

Being granted the title of a third-class count to the King of Ryukyu was already the highest honor one could receive.

With the dynasty's approval and the issuance of the imperial decree, the golden dragon representing the fate of Ryukyu suddenly let out a roar and charged towards the Celestial Empire.

Meanwhile, the fate of the Celestial Empire was also rapidly approaching.

"boom!"

In an instant, the golden dragon of Ryukyu's national destiny crashed into the national destiny of the Celestial Empire.

Immediately afterwards, like melting ice and snow, it transformed into countless pure dragon energies, flowing rapidly towards the capital like rivers flowing into the sea, where it was devoured by the golden dragon of national destiny.

In Ryukyu, however, the fortunes of the Celestial Empire quickly enveloped the region.

As the Ryukyu king received the imperial edict, a golden light suddenly burst forth and instantly entered his brow.

Immediately afterwards, the national fortune and dragon energy shifted, drawing upon the power of the laws of heaven and earth, and rapidly evolving into the rank of third-class earl.

Subsequently, his position allowed him to draw upon the energy of heaven and earth to integrate into his body, causing his strength to increase rapidly, and he soon reached the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

Although in terms of pure true energy quantity, it is only slightly more abundant than before.

However, their quality is worlds apart.

The powerful aura spread, and the surrounding civil and military officials felt their legs go weak, almost causing them to kneel on the ground.

The dynasty also followed the old system and granted titles to the princes and ministers who followed the Ryukyu king in presenting the map, based on their contributions.

Most were barons, and a small number were granted the rank of viscount.

Even with such a lowly title, their strength was greatly enhanced.

The energy concentration may not necessarily increase much, and may even decline.

However, that is a fundamental difference.

They could sense that their current selves could easily crush dozens of their previous selves.

Besides them, Li Shu's title was also elevated by one rank, becoming the First-Class Marquis of Jinghai.

As time passed, news of Li Shu's actions on the high seas and the events that occurred in Japan gradually spread.

The surrounding countries were immediately shaken and sent envoys to the capital of the Celestial Empire to pay homage to the Celestial Emperor, expressing their willingness to become vassal states of the Celestial Empire and pay tribute.

The dynasty ignored all of these matters and instead entrusted them entirely to the Court of State Ceremonial, which was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites.

Tell the envoys of all countries that relations between nations should be based on equality, and that the Celestial Empire respects the sovereignty of all nations and will never act in a way that places it above other countries.

Upon hearing this on the first day, the envoys from various countries were initially delighted, but their expressions quickly changed.

What does this mean? Does it mean they are unwilling to accept them as a vassal state? Does it mean they want to destroy their country and occupy their lands and nations?

For a moment, everyone couldn't help but feel uneasy.

However, after a period of time, seeing that the Celestial Empire had no intention of launching a military campaign, everyone was somewhat relieved.

Although in the end, these countries failed to achieve their ultimate goal of becoming vassal states of the Celestial Empire.

However, it would be acceptable if the Celestial Empire could refrain from attacking them.

Time flies, and the end of the year is just around the corner.

Although it did not become a vassal state of the Celestial Empire.

However, neighboring countries still brought large amounts of gold, silver, jewelry, local specialties, and other items to the Celestial Empire as tribute.

In response, the Celestial Empire reciprocated by bestowing rewards upon each country based on the quantity of tribute items they presented.

Of course, it couldn't possibly be like the Ming Dynasty, where such lavish gifts were bestowed.

The return gifts from the Celestial Empire were basically some exquisite glass products or large quantities of silk fabrics.

Although the dynasty does not intend to maintain this relationship for long, it will not engage in unprofitable transactions.

On the 18th day of the fifth month of the second year of the Celestial Dynasty, Empress Ji Nanyue, who had been pregnant for a full year, gave birth to the dynasty's first child, who was also the Crown Prince of the Celestial Dynasty. The dynasty bestowed upon him the name Wang Jingchen.

Jing refers to fine jade, and Chen refers to the emperor's palace. The dynasty hoped that he would possess the pure and flawless qualities of jade and become an outstanding leader of the country in the future.

On the day Wang Jingchen was born, a rosy glow shot into the sky, the heavens and earth trembled, and endless energy flowed, transforming into a dazzling rosy glow visible to the naked eye.

Amidst the cries of dragons and phoenixes, flowers rained down from the sky, and golden lotuses sprang from the ground.
It should be noted that Wang Jingchen began to integrate with the origins of heaven and earth from the very beginning of his conception.

Once it is born, it will naturally resonate with heaven and earth, and extraordinary phenomena will appear in the sky. It is no exaggeration to say that it is the chosen one of the destiny of this world.

Born into the Qi Refining stage, he reached the mid-stage of Qi Refining within a month. Although his progress slowed down afterward, he was still far beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Furthermore, although his lifespan did not inherit from the dynasty, it did inherit from his mother, Ji Nanyue, directly reaching a lifespan of five hundred years.

The birth of the Crown Prince of the Celestial Empire naturally attracted congratulations from various countries.

On this very day, the dynasty completely liberalized the evolution of the divine status.

As long as one is a citizen of the Celestial Empire, one has the opportunity to attain a Celestial status.

As a baby's cry echoed throughout the land, everyone felt a jolt in their hearts, as the rules of heaven and earth and the energy of heaven and earth poured in, cleansing their bodies and souls.

It was as if they, too, were being reborn at that moment.

Following a preordained connection, the people began to communicate about the nation's destiny and act accordingly.

Farmers till the fields, teachers give lessons, and craftsmen do their work.
A wisp of the power of the rules began to be slowly drawn into everyone's bodies, gradually merging with their spirit and will, and slowly evolving into their own innate status.

However, because this process involves aligning with one's spirit and mind, it consumes a great deal of mental energy.

Therefore, not everyone can evolve into a celestial being.

In fact, most people have not evolved a divine status.

However, since it has already begun to gestate and evolve, and has the initial seed, it can naturally evolve little by little later.

(End of this chapter)